"The sea calls me, San. It always will."
"Then I'll follow, even if it takes me to the depths."
Prince San finds solace by the sea, where he encounters Wooyoung, a cursed siren bound to the ocean's depths. But as their bond deepens, the ocean's wra...
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Every century, the ocean whispers its call, a siren's song that echoes through the deep blue waters, reaching the ears of one mortal soul. Those who hear it are drawn to the edge of the shore, compelled to answer. But those who choose to heed the call have no choice but to leave behind the land they know, becoming a sacrifice to the ocean's eternal hunger.
Hongjoong had heard the legends all his life, but never once had he thought he would be involved. Now, standing at the edge of the rocky cliffs, his gaze heavy with the weight of his own fate, he found himself bound to the truth of the ocean's cruel design.
His hand rested gently on San's shoulder, his eyes steady, though the sadness was clear in his voice.
"Every 100 years, the ocean calls out to a mortal. If they answer, they are taken," Hongjoong said, his tone almost reverent, as though the ocean itself was listening. "There's no escape from its pull. Once you hear it, you have no choice but to surrender."
San's eyes burned with desperation. "And... if I refuse? What happens then?"
Hongjoong met his gaze, his face hardening. "Then, you become like Wooyoung."
San's breath caught in his throat.
"The one that had haunted the whispers of the kingdom for centuries. Two hundred years ago, a prince had refused the ocean's call, and the curse that followed had transformed him. Wooyoung was no longer a man, but a creature of the sea, bound to its depths, his humanity lost forever."
San clenched his fists. "I won't become like him. I'll make him back. There has to be a way."
Hongjoong took a deep breath, the weight of the truth resting on his shoulders. "There's no known cure, San. No spell, no magic strong enough to break the curse. The only possibility... is to find something bigger than the ocean itself."
San's eyes widened. "Something bigger than the ocean?" He shook his head in disbelief. "But how? The ocean is endless. It's all-consuming."
Hongjoong's gaze softened, and for a moment, it was as though he were looking not at San, but through him, at something far beyond their reach. "That's the only chance we have. If you can find it... whatever it may be... then maybe, just maybe, you can escape."
San's heart pounded in his chest. The ocean called to him every night now, its song growing louder, its pull growing stronger. But he couldn't let go of his life — not yet. He couldn't let it take him without a fight.
Hongjoong's voice brought him back to reality. "But remember this, San. You must go. There is no stopping it once you've heard the call." He paused, his expression unreadable.
"And when you leave, tell Seonghwa... tell him I still hate him."
The words were heavy, laced with a bitterness that seemed out of place in the moment. But San could hear the undercurrent of something deeper — a wound that hadn't healed, a betrayal that had never been forgiven.
San nodded solemnly. "I will. I won't forget."
Hongjoong turned and began to walk away, his figure slowly disappearing into the twilight. San stood alone on the cliffs, the wind picking up around him as the ocean's call echoed in the distance, louder than ever before.
He had no choice but to follow it. And in doing so, he would uncover the truth behind the curse — and, perhaps, something even darker than the ocean itself.
